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Just heard back from NETGEAR. When the R8000 is an Access Point mode as mine is the light flashes White and Amber as an indicator. NETGEAR also agreed probably not the best indicator and will be updating this behavior in a later firmware.

Are you using your R8000 in AP mode?

Bob

Thanks for the reply and I am. I actually did a hard reset and noticed it was fine in wireless router mode up until the point that I changed it to AP mode. By then I also started a service ticket with Netgear and got the same response you did yesterday.

Netgear has some great hardware, but their firmware definitely leaves something to be desired. I was almost going to pick up the Asus AC68. Still happy with the R8000 though (my wifi range is so much better compared to the R4500 it replaces).

I received my Nighthawk X6 yesterday. NETGEAR has begun shipping the X6 this past week. The unit shipped with V1.0.1.46_1.0.17 firmware. When booted up there was no notice of additional firmware upgrades. I haven't confirmed with NETGEAR what this firmware has or doesn't have regarding limitations but I will do that this week.

The unit is very sleek. It is larger then the R7000 by about 30%. It is table top or wall mountable. I will wall mount this once I get things situated. I have set it up as an Access Point. This operates as all the latest NETGEAR routers with an easy selection to turn access point on. Then you simply connect it to your network and you are good to go. In access point mode it looks for an ip address from the DHCP server. After the initial reboot I went in and changed it to a manual address so I can easily access it for settings and other maintenance functions.

The first thing you will notice is that the router boots with 3 wifi bands. One 2.4 and two 5ghz bands. You then have the option of turning on Smart Connect in the wireless section which combines the 2 5ghz band into 1 with a common SSID. Very easy and really seamless to do.

All other aspects of the router work as expected.

The hardware is very nice. The unit has a good array of led lights so you can get an idea of what is happening at a glance. My power light is flashing white and amber so not sure what that is about but the router appears to be functioning normally though.

The antennas are interesting. I was in error when I thought they operated on on their own. They require manual intervention to raise and position them. But unlike the R7000 is is clear where the antennas should be placed. They all extend from the case and extend outward about 45 degress from the case. The upper and lower antennas can then be rotated about 45 degrees up and for the top and down for the bottom set.

NETGEAR has said that the range of the R8000 is similar to that of the R7000. Untill I can mount the R8000 in a simalr place I will need to wait to determine that.

But again first blush with the unit all seems very good.

I will report back once I have had a few days to live with the R8000 and report on its 5ghz performance.

Bob Silver
NETGEAR AV Consultant

User Impressions

I have been living with the X6 R8000 for a couple weeks now. I placed it on a printer table about desk height. I have been using the router in Access Point mode. And have set the SSID's to the same as my R7000 so I could switch back and forth between the 2.

My impressions are this so far. Range wise it appears to equal the R7000 in both 2.4 and 5ghz bands. I have a 3k sq ft single story home and it is strong enough for me to roam anywhere within my home and outdoors. I can walk almost 50 feet or more outside and still remain connected.

Antenna placement I have settled on is 90 degree vertical for all 6 antennas. I tried playing with different angles but none seem to make much of a difference. Since the router is exposed visibly the 90 degree position looks best. (actually the router looks pretty cool anyway). The antennas BTW can be angled out and forward and back. Quality wise they are plastic like the rest of the case but feel sturdy enough. I wouldn't lift the unit by the antennas but you shouldn't anyway. And lastly I like that there is little ambiguity about where the antennas should be.

I have been using Netspot on my Macbook Pro to test signal strength and noise rejection. Again compared to my R7000 results are very similar. Switching between the 2 did not result in much of a difference in my case.

The one thing I will say that I have seen is what I believe is an improved response time when using the R8000. When connecting and using the network things just seem snappier. I can't quantify it (and maybe I am imagining it) but things just seem better. Its like some days my network seems to work better then others. Well with the R8000 most times seems to be one of those days. And this could be from the fact that there are 4 cpu's in the R8000. 1 for each of the bands and the dual core for all other router functions.

Load balancing on the 5ghz radios is transparent. The router sets itself up with 1 radio in the 160 channel range and the other radio in the 48 channel range. Since most of all my 5ghz devices are fast devices the router has put them on the 160 channel side. It is my understand that this is only done once when you connect to the net. So I am not certain of the approach NETGEAR used in determining what goes where. I intend to have a follow on discussion with NETGEAR to better understand the R8000 now that I have some real time experience with it.

So my initial reactions are very positive. Is the R8000 worth a 33% price premium over the R7000? Well that really depends on your environment. Id still say if you have a family with multiple users then this is probably the router to buy. Wireless bandwidth goes fast and having the dual 5ghz bands is really valuable when you need it.

Isn't that always the problem? Firmware is always late and missing features. Everyone should read the reviews on cnet, smallnetbuilder before dropping $300 on this thing.

When you are looking at new technology products like the R8000 software following hardware is the norm. the R8000 uses a new Broadcom chipset and a set of new Broadcom technologies. It is up to the manufacturers to develop the end software that makes these technologies into products.

The R8000 is stable. First and foremost that is key. There have been too many instances where new products come to market and are not stable for many revs. Netgear and others are guilty of this. So when I found that the R8000 hasnt dropped connections, needed a reboot or any other intervention after I set it up I was quite impressed. It has been extremely stable. More so than any other new router product I have used in a long time.

Netgear again decided (wisely IMHO) to focus on stability and add the complex features down the road. This is a far better approach than the alternative.

It really takes about 6 months after a new product hits the shelves to get all the bugs worked out, features implemented and all things stable. Its never a good idea to buy new tech the day it comes out. But Netgear did great on the R8000. If it has what you need today its a solid product that you can rely on. Otherwise you can just sit back and wait for a little while.

When you are looking at new technology products like the R8000 software following hardware is the norm. the R8000 uses a new Broadcom chipset and a set of new Broadcom technologies. It is up to the manufacturers to develop the end software that makes these technologies into products.

The R8000 is stable. First and foremost that is key. There have been too many instances where new products come to market and are not stable for many revs. Netgear and others are guilty of this. So when I found that the R8000 hasnt dropped connections, needed a reboot or any other intervention after I set it up I was quite impressed. It has been extremely stable. More so than any other new router product I have used in a long time.

Netgear again decided (wisely IMHO) to focus on stability and add the complex features down the road. This is a far better approach than the alternative.

It really takes about 6 months after a new product hits the shelves to get all the bugs worked out, features implemented and all things stable. Its never a good idea to buy new tech the day it comes out. But Netgear did great on the R8000. If it has what you need today its a solid product that you can rely on. Otherwise you can just sit back and wait for a little while.

I have the r6300 and I still need two wi-fi extenders at either end of my house to get complete coverage.

Is there any way to assess whether the distance of the r8000 is greater than the r6300?

I don't think I need much to get rid of the extenders (which seem to complicate the situation).

Also, just as an aside, when don't they have a way to compare the distance of each router? Couldn't they just put them in a large field with nothing in between and see how far they can go before dropping the signal?!

I have the r6300 and I still need two wi-fi extenders at either end of my house to get complete coverage.

Is there any way to assess whether the distance of the r8000 is greater than the r6300?

I don't think I need much to get rid of the extenders (which seem to complicate the situation).

Also, just as an aside, when don't they have a way to compare the distance of each router? Couldn't they just put them in a large field with nothing in between and see how far they can go before dropping the signal?!

Thanks

The R7000/R8000 routers have greater range then the R6300. Its about 15-20% greater. There are other elements like Beam Forming plus the antennas designs that will help you. I am in a 3000 single floor home and both of these routers cover it. At the edges signal is lower but usable.

I would suggest you look at the R7000. Range wise I think it is better then the R8000 by a little bit. Plus since range is your goal here the big benefit of the R8000 is twice the available bandwidth in the 5ghz range which by its nature has less range then the 2.4ghz band so you wouldn't be getting the benefit.

If there is a way to get a cat 5 cable to another location you can use the R7000 or R6300 as an access point using the other as a router with wireless. This way you could use both devices to get seamless coverage. This is much better then using extenders.

About your question on range testing. Good question but looking at wireless in an unobstructed environment doesn't tell you much. In the end the real world has walls, electrical wiring, other devices that can cause interference, neighbors etc. All of these elements have a lot to do with real range. I agree it would be nice to have a standard but to my knowledge none exist.

So to summarize the R7000 will definitely be better then the R6300 in range. By how much is going to be determined by your environment and placement.

If you are interested I saw a great deal from NewEgg on the R7000 that includes a Chromecast if that is of interest.

Let us know what you do and how it works out. Happy to help you through the process.

the upgrader in me wants to blow the cash on two new R8000's.... The realistic person in me says the two R7000's I have are more than enough.......UGH

Bob, If I am reading your comments from an earlier thread, your saying the router should be in the main area (living room) and the AP in the secondary location?

I have them both connected by Cat6 cable so I am not sure if that matters.

Also, the SSID are the same on both units, should the 2.4 ghz channels be the same or different....... (sorry I just robbed this thread thats probably a no no)

The router if you are only using 1 should be in the middle of where the wireless devices are likely to be used. Often that isn't easy so we need to find a work around. In you case where you have 2 R7000 (no need to upgrade IMHO) I would place them at each end third of the house. Again only if you can. The net though with 2 R7000 you should be able to cover a 5k sq ft home. So I doubt you will have any issues.

Use some of the network tools to determine signal strength and noise for testing. Netsp[ot for Mac and inSSIDer home for pc. They will help a lot determining placement.

Release notes –
(1) Improves the wireless connection stability.
(2) Improves the USB 3.0 IOT and the stability for file access.
(3) Fixes some IPv6 connection issues that happen in certain cases.
(4) Adds support for some IPv6 service over PPPoE.
(5) Improves Time Machine support.
(6) Fixes the issue that may consume more battery power of mobile devices connected to router.
(7) Fixes the issue that disallows multiple port forwarding rules to the same internal port.
(8) Fixes some GUI display issues in the Show Statistics window.
(9) Fixes the connection issue with Sonos speaker.
(10) Removes the detection function for AP mode.

I've had my R8000 since right after they released. I had started using the Netgears when they rolled out the WNDR4500s. After years of hacking the Linksys routers, Netgear started rolling out some decent hardware that made me look. Plus, after awhile you get tired of always monkeying around with stuff and just want it to work. Used the 4500 for a cpl years though they seemed to brick at 1 yr a cpl times. So When the 7000 came out I was overjoyed at the jump in power and range. With the devices at home becoming more and more WIFI centered I chomped at the bit when I saw the specs for the 8000. Initially after I rolled out the 8000 was a bit disappointed because I lost a bit of range and a few bells/whistles but the power this thing has streaming all the devices we got going is awesome. I am extremely happy with the R8000.

I've had my R8000 since right after they released. I had started using the Netgears when they rolled out the WNDR4500s. After years of hacking the Linksys routers, Netgear started rolling out some decent hardware that made me look. Plus, after awhile you get tired of always monkeying around with stuff and just want it to work. Used the 4500 for a cpl years though they seemed to brick at 1 yr a cpl times. So When the 7000 came out I was overjoyed at the jump in power and range. With the devices at home becoming more and more WIFI centered I chomped at the bit when I saw the specs for the 8000. Initially after I rolled out the 8000 was a bit disappointed because I lost a bit of range and a few bells/whistles but the power this thing has streaming all the devices we got going is awesome. I am extremely happy with the R8000.

Hi Tim,

Compared to the 4500 range I experience this. About the same maybe a bit less 2.4g Range. Much better 5ghz range. In fact I find the 4500 5ghz range to be a bit lacking. Compared to the 7000 the 8000 seems very close in performance. I swap between a 7000 and 8000 to compare and they seem very similar to me.

What features are you missing that you want from the 4500?

Without saying something I am not allowed let me say this. NETGEAR is working to unify software and feature sets among the routers. Look to early next year for new firmware that should add back some missing features of early products.

Hello,
So I am currently deployed and need to get an extender. We have decent wifi in the common area but it does not reach into the rooms very good. I was looking at the ex6200, but once I get back stateside I won't have any use for it. Can this router work as an extender while I am here so I can use it as a router after I get home? Thank you.

Hello,
So I am currently deployed and need to get an extender. We have decent wifi in the common area but it does not reach into the rooms very good. I was looking at the ex6200, but once I get back stateside I won't have any use for it. Can this router work as an extender while I am here so I can use it as a router after I get home? Thank you.

The Ex6200 is not a router. It is an wifi based AC extender. A very good one in fact.

When you return it will work with other routers even non AC routers. But again you need a router to use with it. If you want a router you can use as an range extender now and a router later look at the NETGEAR R7000. You can use it in Extender mode now and then as a router. I assume you do not have AC based wifi where you are so getting an AC device is a bit overkill. But if you are looking for a great router solution when you get home then then the R7000 would do you quite well. And the EX6200 has the best range of any extender I have used.